COMMERCE – The defending Southland Conference champion McNeese Cowgirls visit John Cain Family Field this weekend to face the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team.
LIONS' SCHEDULE AGAINST THE COWGIRLS
PROMOTIONS
This weekend's series is presented by Fix & Feed. Friday's game is also Employee Appreciation Night as well as the A&M-Commerce Alumni Association is hosting a tailgate. More information can be found
HERE.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions welcome North Texas for a doubleheader on Tuesday and head to Northwestern State next weekend.
SLOW START TO CONFERENCE PLAY
The Lions are still searching for their first conference win of the season. Despite not having won a game, the Lions are just two games out of a spot in the conference tournament.
STREAK SNAPPED
A&M-Commerce walked-off a 14-6 win in five innings on March 26 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to snap a 21-game losing streak. The 14 runs scored tied the season-high for runs and 16 hits are a new season-best.
Charli Anger (Lubbock - Cooper) hit a three-run home run in the first inning, while
Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.) ended the night with a two-run walk-off inside the park home run.
Last Tuesday, the Lions took the win over UT Arlington, which snapped a four-game losing streak. A&M-Commerce is now undefeated on Tuesdays this season.
BIG WIN OVER THE MAVERICKS
The Lions picked up a 5-2 win over UT Arlington last Tuesday at home. After taking the early lead on a two-run home run, the game was tied at two, but the Lions scored three in the fourth to take the win. It was the program's first win over a school in the DFW Metroplex in the Division I era. A&M-Commerce is 2-0 on Tuesdays this season.
PLAYED AGAINST THE NATION'S BEST
On March 6, the Lions played at Oklahoma, who was ranked No. 1 in the coaches rankings entering the game, marking the first time the Lions played a team ranked No. 1 in any sport in the Division I era, surpassing the men's basketball team playing at No. 6 Texas in 2022-23. The Sooners scored five in the first inning and won 9-0 in five. A&M-Commerce's
Tehya Pitts (Denton - Guyer) and
Tatum Wright (Frisco - Centennial) had a hit each.
MEEP MEEP
The Lions have stolen 68 bases thus far this season on 79 attempts. The 68 stolen bases are tied for 22nd in NCAA Division I. Pitts has 18 on the season, which is tied for 36th in the country and
Ashlynn Griffith (Cedar Hill) has 12.
A RARE DOUBLE NO-HITTER
A rarity happened in Denton between A&M-Commerce and Missouri. Both the Lions'
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) and the Tigers' Cierra Harrison tossed complete games and neither allowed a hit in the game. Missouri took a 1-0 win thanks to a walk, two steals, and a sacrifice fly in the first inning. It was the first double no-hitter in college softball this year.
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
The Lions just hit one home run at home during the 12 home games in 2023, it took just two innings in the 2024 season to surpass that total.
Charli Anger (Lubbock - Cooper) and
Diamond Sefe (Carson, Calif.) went back-to-back in the season opener against UMass Lowell to put the Lions ahead. The duo has three home runs each this season, being tied for the team lead.
TOUCHING HOME PLATE
Thus far this season, the Lions have scored 87 runs at home, while having scored just 28 last season.
PITTS CATCHES ON FIRE AGAINST SIUE
In the three-game series against the Cougars, Pitts batted 7 for 11 (.636) to lead the Lions.
TENTH SEASON OF LION SOFTBALL
This is the 10th season of Lion Softball. The first season of competition for the program was the 2015 season, and this is the second season for the Lions in NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference.
WELCOME NEWCOMERS
This season, the Lions have 10 newcomers on the 22-player roster. Of the 10 newcomers, freshmen Anger, Arzola,
Jenna Joyce (Royse City), and
Tehya Pitts (Denton – Guyer), made their Lion debuts last week as did transfers: Muller from Arkansas Rich Mountain,
Ashley Diaz (Chino, Calif.) from Mt. SAC,
Lencia Powell (Birdville) from Weatherford College,
Darby Hickey (Plano Senior) from Temple College, and
Stephanie Tapia (Yuma, Ariz.) from Pima Community College.
Brooke Hilton (Plano East) made her collegiate debut behind the plate against Omaha.
PLAYING THE BEST OF THE BEST
The Lions play six games against Power Five conference teams and nine games against teams that played in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
The games against Power Five conference opponents include three-game series against Houston, and No. 20 Arkansas last weekend, both at home, while heading to Oklahoma, the winner of the last three Women's College World Series, and at Texas A&M. A&M-Commerce already played against Missouri, who was ranked No. 15 in the country at the time.
Along with the Power Five conference opponents, the Lions also welcomed Omaha in non-conference play, who made the NCAA Tournament last season as did Wichita State and A&M-Commerce hosts McNeese during Southland play. The Cowgirls were a Regional Finalist last season.
PRESEASON POLL
In the preseason poll released by the Southland Conference, the Lions were picked ninth, after finishing in that exact position in their first season in the conference last year. A&M-Commerce received 17 points.
2024 SOUTHLAND SOFTBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
Team (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
McNeese (16) |
128 |
| 2 |
Southeastern (2) |
114 |
| 3 |
Nicholls |
97 |
| 4 |
Lamar |
78 |
| 5 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
72 |
| 6 |
Northwestern State |
63 |
| 7 |
HCU |
49 |
| 8 |
UIW |
30 |
| 9 |
A&M-COMMERCE |
17 |
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
McNeese, who was a game away from making the NCAA Super Regionals a year ago, is the conference leader this season and has the best RPI in the conference. The Cowgirls are 26-15 overall and 11-1 in the conference, the lone loss in conference play was at Nicholls. Samantha Mundine is batting .339 with 24 RBIs, while Corine Poncho has team-best 13 home runs and 27 RBIs, batting .321. Shaelyn Sanders is 12-7 in the circle with 87 strikeouts, pitching to an ERA of 2.21, while Lindsay Davis has an ERA of 2.49 and is 5-5 on the season.
-TAMUC-
